Heine's Sick!
by BloodthirstyMajesty
Summary: All it was was a little lesson. But then, something the four princes of Glanzreich never thought would happen occurred, and of course Kai would have to be the one to look after him.


Kai could tell that there was something wrong with Heine. He was acting a bit strange. Even Leonhard noticed and he was so dense when it came to other human beings. Not that Kai was insulting his dear brother. Of course not. In fact, Kai rather adored his sweets-loving younger brother. He loved all his siblings. But the fact that even Leonhard could notice that Heine was off, was a cause for concern on his teacher's behalf.

His posture was a bit slumped, which it never was; his back always straight as a ruler. His usual fair complexion was mared with flushes of pink across the bridge of his nose. The little professor's small hands seemed to be trembling slightly. Ever so slightly that only those who looked closely would notice, which Kai was, as always. Nothing could escape his sharp eyes, especially when it came to his favorite person who wasn't blood related.

Every once in a while, Kai would see Heine's right eye twitch as if some sort of light, blunt object struck his head; a small, quick, unconscious movement.

Yet his poker face remained. And that was all that kept other's who didn't know him well from figuring out that there was something or another troubling him.

Unfortunately for him, the four princes he was currently tutoring had been around him long enough to know the slight differences in his mannerisms, and to be frank, they were quite worried. So worried that Bruno was about to ask if anything was wrong, which was normal for him because he was Bruno, but the fact that all of them had such underlying concern written on their faces was unprecedented.

They never got the chance to ask, or plead, however you feel like putting it, however.

All at once, in the middle of a discussion about one of the previous, not so benevolent, kings, Heine's words suddenly cut off. And like that, he was tipping.

The princes had not been able to react in time, for in a matter of mere seconds, the esteemed royal tutor had collapsed on the shining marble floor, in a panting heap.

"HEINE!"

And just as fast as the tutor fell to the ground, his students jumped from their chairs and hurried to his side.

A palm placed on his forehead.

"He's burning up..." Bruno's voice was laced in worry, more than any of them should feel, yet did anyway. With Heine unconscious, there was no one to tell them not to panic, to take care of them and tell them it's all right.

Kai tried. He tried with all his might, yet he could not seem to get more than a few unintelligable murmurs out. The stress of the moment was taking it's toll on his speaking; seeming to wipe every word from his mental dictionary.

Bruno was too busy worrying and checking the tiny professor for further injuries to have time to console his brothers.

Licht was pacing back and forth, wondering what to do as he tried to recall Heine's medical lesson the previous week. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying much attention to it. God, did he wish he had.

Leonhard was practically panicking, unable to do anything productive but spout random nonsense that just made them all the more stressed. Somehow, he had managed to get to his hidden spare disaster diary that he had placed under one of the plush velvet couches without any of his brothers noticing. A page ripped horribly under the pen as the fourth prince came to a sudden realization.

"Is Heine gonna die?!"

"Of course not, you imbecile!" Bruno snapped. "Master will be just fine after a few days' rest."

Leonhard seemed to pout, but that expression was gone in an instant, replaced by the joy that his [favorite] teacher wasn't going to die.

"Have you found the problem with Teacher...?"

Kai had finally found his voice, relieved at the news that Heine would be alright.

"It's a fever. A bit more than a low one, yet not severe, either. He should be better with rest and care within the next four days."

It was as if an unseen tension in the room dissipated at the third prince's words.

"We should get him back to his room," Licht chimed in. "The last thing we need is for him to get bruises from lying on the floor for too long."

Without another word, Heine was already scooped up in Kai's arms, the tiny tutor seemingly even smaller compared to Kai's height.

Through the thin cloth of his shirt, the second prince could feel how hot Heine was. He felt like the water from his baths when they were first drawn. Like when he slept under his duvet on a humid summer day.

Heine felt sick.

Kai carefully carried him to his chambers, making sure not to jostle him as he walked. His brothers trailed behind in silence, each worried about the teacher even though they'd never admit it for fear of being called 'childish'.

Licht opened the doors when they got there, as Bruno lit the gas lamp on the shelf in the corner.

Kai ever so gently placed Heine under the covers before looking around. He had never been in Teacher's room before, except for that one time when they were cleaning. And that time he had been busy with, of course, cleaning.

The nightstand held a candle, some matches, and a small pile of books. A fire hazard, but where else could he put the books? They were everywhere! Some were even piled on the floor. At least it wasn't as bad as last time, with the shelves jam packed, and the floor and every stable surface covered in a sea of books, which, Kai might add, hurt a lot when stepped on with bare feet.

"Brothers," Bruno called out with a slightly shaky voice.

"Yeah, Bru-nii?" Licht answered for everybody, as they all turned to look at him.

"I think I found the reason for Master's sudden fever." He pointed at the cherry wood desk in the corner of the room, opposite of the shelf which the lamp sat upon, and next along the wall from the bed.

Eyes widened in shock and a bit of concern. For on the desk was so much paperwork and textbooks, that you could barely see the desk. There was only a small space cleared for the glass bottle of ink, as to make sure it didn't spill all over the paper.

The princes could see papers with their names and red numbers on the corners.

Their tests and quizes.

"Did...did Heine overwork himself?" Leonhard was the first to break the stretching silence.

"Because he had to finish the work we set upon him..." Bruno's voice was but a whisper.

"And we never even noticed how much he did for us." Licht stared at the ground in guilt.

"Teacher..." Kai was incapable of saying anything more, feeling bad for Heine and for his brothers, and hoping that their lovable tutor would get back to full health soon. Maybe they could help him with some of his work, to lighten the load for him.

Bruno started to fidget, a nervous, worried expression on his face. Kai began to wonder what was wrong now. But the second prince did not need to ponder about what was on his younger brother's mind, for he soon shared it himself, without any coaxing.

"I hate to say it at this time, but I must attend a seminar at the university in three hours' time." Bruno voice held a note of excitement, but also concern for his master. "I can cancel to be with Master and all of you, though," he added quickly.

Kai shook his head. "You...should go and...give your speech." His words had just come back to him but with the sudden guilt that they had played a part in Heine falling ill, his stammering had returned, albeit only minorly. But he used what little he could say to reject his brother's suggestion.

"But-"

"Yeah, Kai's right," Leonhard agreed. "You should go give your speech thing. Kai and Licht will be able to care for him while we're gone."

"Hey! Why aren't you staying?" Licht asked, not so gently.

"Because, I need to study. I can't let my grades fall and have Heine and Father be disappointed in me."

"Leo has a point..." Kai said.

Licht sighed. "Fine. You can go."

A determined nod was the answer he recieved before Leonhard darted back out of the room.

"I'm afraid I must go as well. May luck be on your and Master's side."

Bruno was soon to depart, leaving at a tamer pace than the second prince had seconds prior.

As soon as the doors closed, Licht spoke.

"Welp, I should get my attractive butt moving, too. I have to go out to dinner with some of my lady friends and I can't just leave them hanging."

As much as Kai wished that his brothers would stay, so that they could spend some brotherly time together looking after their dear professor, he knew that this was for the better. If they stayed, then they might wake Heine up with their noise, and his fever might get worse.

Kai gave a soft nod in response, and Licht was soon to leave, but not before Kai telling him to alert Father of what had happened and that they wouldn't have lessons for the next few days.

And with Licht gone, the room was quiet, save for the soft pants emitting from Heine's parted lips.

Pulling up a chair next to the bed in advance, Kai pressed the back of his hand against the tutor's damp forehead.

_Too warm..._

Hoping to help the little professor sooth his suffering, Kai ventured to the kitchen, pouring a large bowl full of lukewarm water and placing a dish rag inside of it to soak the water in. Putting the bowl on the counter, Kai fetched a glass of slightly colder water, remembering from Heine's lesson that too cold things could be dangerous to someone with a fever. With these two things in hand, he returned to Heine's chambers.

Only to see that the little tutor had thrown off his covers.

_He must be too hot._ Kai thought as he noticed that he had forgotten to remove Heine's coat and waistcoat.

_I should probably change him into his nightwear._

After Kai set the glass of water and bowl of the same liquid down on the floor next to the headboard, out of tripping danger, he went about changing his teacher.

He was a bit hesitant at first, but soon got over it.

First was his glasses which Kai set delicately on the nightstand, next was his uniform coat, which was messily folded and placed on the chair, then the waistcoat that had somehow gotten bunched up around Heine's chest. Each artical of clothing was placed with extreme care only Kai could have on the chair with his uniform coat, until Heine was only in his undergarments.

The second prince averted his eyes from the sight to spare his teacher some dignity [even if he was curious if the rest of Heine's skin felt as soft as his face and hands], and went about digging in the dresser drawers for a set of light nightwear.

They weren't that difficult to find, for the first drawer he opened had a light, cream colored, cotton button up night shirt, and matching trousers.

As Kai went about this, all he could think of was: _I can't believe I'm actually doing this. Teacher might be mad if he finds out I changed him without his permission._

And he truly believed that. Heine might not stay mad for long, but he certainly would be upset. After all, he didn't like anyone touching him in the first place, let alone undressing him while he was unconscious.

Yet in the middle of putting on the teacher's sleepwear, Kai couldn't help but notice the faint outline of a scar peaking out over Heine's side from his back.

_How did he get that?_

Kai pondered it for a few seconds before snapping his mind back into focus. "No...Concentrate on dressing Teacher."

It took a few sneaky, clever moves to get Heine's night shirt on, but eventually it was on and buttoned, and the tutor was fully dressed once more.

The second prince moved the folded clothes to ontop of the dresser before sitting down in the chair they once occupied. Once seated, he reached into the bowl that had been forgotten on the floor and wrung out the cloth inside until it wasn't sopping anymore, and was just pleasantly damp.

The rag soon found its place atop Heine's forehead, and a little sigh escaped his parted lips.

Ever so gently, Kai held Heine's hand, while pulling up the covers to his waist with the other. What he didn't expect was for the professor to open his eyes, blurrily gazing at the ceiling.

Careful to keep his voice down, the white haired prince murmured what had happened in the few hours prior. Heine did not seem to react, but he was most likely quite tired and disoriented to be able to give any kind of coherent answer.

"So...I'm...sick?" Was his blunt reply, still looking at the ceiling.

"Yes, Teacher."

"Oh."

Kai managed to get Heine to drink the water he had brought him hours ago, yet it still did not seem to make him any better. In fact, he just looked drowsier.

_But brother Bruno said that he had a fever slightly worse than normal, so it'll take a bit longer. I must be patient..._

"I'll go get you some crackers from the kitchen..." Kai moved to stand up, but a weak tug on his sleeve made him stop.

Heine finally looked at him; even with glassy eyes, it was still an improvement.

"Can you stay a little while longer? ...Please..."

The pink that was once only on the bridge of his nose had spread to the little tutor's cheeks and ears, and deepened its color, telling Kai that Heine was really sick, and he couldn't afford to move or exert himself with the little strength he had left. He should really eat, but Kai knew that keeping him happy until he fell asleep was healthier for him; to not cause unneeded stress and worsen his fever.

So Kai sat back down.

And he took Heine's hand once more.

They sat in comfortable silence throughout the afternoon, with only their breathing and the sounds of Kai rewetting the cold compress filling the room. Eventually, Heine fell asleep again, as deep a sleep as before.

Kai continued to watch him, until the sky outside the glass balcony doors was dark and littered with stars.

_Bruno and Licht will most likely be home soon, I should go welcome them back._

Yet despite his inner words, obviously trying to convince him to go, Kai ended up staying a few more minutes, just watching. Heine was so peaceful when he slept, it made him look younger than he already did and fascinated the white haired prince to no end. Just like some people enjoyed watching birds flying and going about their lives, he enjoyed watching Heine; so strange and yet so familiar at the same time, he couldn't make sense of it. But he didn't need to right now. Right now, he just heard the sound of two carriages coming up to the front doors.

_They are home._

Now Kai definitely knew he should get up and greet them. Taking care of the little tutor was rather exhausting, he felt like an early retirement to bed. And so, after a bit of dilly-dallying, Kai left Heine's chambers, feeling tired but content, and greeted his brothers. After which, Bruno had kindly taken his place to watch over their teacher and he was shooed off to go sleep. And sleep he did.

They had taken turns throughout the next four and a half days of watching over Heine as he recovered from his overworked induced fever.

The princes kept everything they had learned about Heine in that time [accidental or purposefully] to themselves, never letting anyone but them brothers know about the little things that made the professor tick. But there were things that Kai didn't let even them know. Like how Heine would sometimes fall asleep with the prince's hand touching his cheek, or how he asked for a hug if the day was going bad for him and his fever. Or how Kai had kissed him on the forehead every night when he fell asleep.

No. They didn't need to know. No one needed to know. It was just Kai's knowledge to have, and no one else's. Well, maybe Shadow knew, but besides that, it was a secret kept to himself.


End file.
